Let's dive right in with some observations from practice keeping in mind that it was only the first day and they were not wearing pads.

The Quarterbacks:

It's over! After one day of practice I can tell you who it is! Call off the competition!

I'm kidding of course, but here is what I saw.

Charley Loeb, Terrel Hunt, and John Kinder got equal reps running the "first team" and in general. Loeb was the first quarterback out for what it is worth.

Charley definitely has the strongest arm and is the most mechanically sound of the three quarterbacks, which you would expect from the player with the most experience.

What I will be watching for in the practices the media is allowed to observe is if he does anything to grab the position.

What is special about him? Because right now, I don't think he has those qualities. He is a good, solid quarterback with size. But there is nothing about him right now that makes you say he HAS to be the guy.

It was telling to me how often Scott Shafer talked about how important it is that his quarterback can run in a recent conversation he had with the Post-Standard and syracuse.com. Loeb is certainly the slowest of the three quarterbacks competing for the job.

Loeb had a pretty solid day one. Most of his throws were on target in drills and 11-on-11 work. He was pulled from an early drill on the first team, but early mistakes are to be expected on the first day. His throws have some velocity when they come off the hand, but fade quickly past 25-30 yards. He is similar to Ryan Nassib in that capacity. His delivery needs to be faster as well.

Terrel Hunt is going to be an intriguing prospect to watch.

Hunt seems to be the proverbial guy in the middle. His arm isn't as strong as Loeb, but it is by no means weak. He isn't as fast as Kinder, but he can move. Hunt has a slower, more deliberate style, but his fundamentals are solid. He has a chance to really make a move in spring ball in my opinion.

Of the three quarterbacks, Hunt made the fewest mistakes and had the fewest uncatchable throws in drills and 11-on-11 work.

It is only day one, but I think John Kinder took a step behind Loeb and Hunt out of the shoot. Kinder made several tough throws in drill work and 11-on-11 play that the film will not look kindly on.

In addition to several low or off-target throws in drills, Kinder threw what would have been a clean "pick six" to Jeremi Wilkes in a real practice/game setting and fumbled a snap that would have been a clean fumble return for a TD in a real practice/game setting in 11-on-11 work.

Kinder has an odd hitch in his delivery and his velocity doesn't compare to the other two at this point.

On a positive note, Kinder is the fastest of the three, has a strong work ethic (a self-described "film rat"), and does command the huddle. His cadence boomed throughout an empty Carrier Dome yesterday.

It was interesting to hear all three quarterbacks mention in the media session after practice how much they liked having a dedicated quarterbacks coach out there. Tim Lester was working his first practice at Syracuse. Nathaniel Hackett previously shared that duty along with being the offensive coordinator.

"He is a great coach. He knows a whole bunch of tricks to get the ball out quicker. I'm real interested in working with him and happy that we have a quarterback coach instead of an offensive coordinator that was a quarterbacks coach," Terrel Hunt said.

Quarterback Quotes:

Charlie Loeb on the quarterback competition...

"There is always competition. This may be a little more obvious than a three-year returning starter. But we are all good friends. We hang out on the weekends with each other. It's friendly. We all push each other. You see a guy make a good play, you want to go out and make a good play. There is no animosity because at the end of the day you get judged on how you play."

Stephen D. Cannerelli/The Post Standard 2013

Terrel Hunt on what he thinks he needs to do to work his way up the depth chart...

First of all, I need to be more vocal, coach (Shafer) said, because being a leader you can't just lead by example. Two, just work on my throwing and lead the receivers. I have to trust the receivers and trust the o-line. I have been waiting my whole life for this. Being able to be right there reaching for it is the best feeling ever."

John Kinder on what he is working on to try an gain and edge on the job...

Film, film, film, film, film, and more film. I am trying to be a true student of the game. At my position, you need to be a film rat, a gym rat, and amp up the guys around you. You have to know the game."
Energy:

It didn't take long to see there was a concentrated effort for practice to move as quickly as possible. Things went at a brisk pace and the players noticed when asked about the difference between a Doug Marrone practice and a Scott Shafer practice.

"After individual period and before 7-on-7, I was dead dog tired," said quarterback Charley Loeb, "I don't think that ever happened to me before."

Leading the charge on that was new offensive coordinator George McDonald. To say the least, this guy is a ball of energy for two hours. They could have powered the Carrier Dome on his voice alone.

McDonald was jumping into drills, barking instructions with passion (and lots of F-bombs), and didn't let up for a second.

"Coach McDonald, he loves this game now," Scott Shafer said. "I had to get on the kids. Charley made a great throw down the sideline which is probably a touchdown in a game and I looked over to see the next signal from Coach McDonald and he was down there chasing the kid into the end zone, the wide receiver, to celebrate. He has a great deal of passion. He always has, since the first day I met him. He is a lot of fun to work with."

"He is a little bit different from what we are used to. Just like he is learning us, we are learning him," running back Jerome Smith said. "Hopefully that brings some excitement from us and brings out some emotion from us.

"He is as tough as nails," Hunt said. "He is going to get under your skin a lot. You have to be tough out there and listen to what he says. He won't lead you wrong."

Shafer's First Day:

Shafer spent a majority of his time observing the offensive side of the ball during practice. He jumped into drills here and there, but mostly stood back and observed.

Shafer on his first practice as head coach of the Orange.

"It was great. It was a blast," Shafer said. "I really enjoyed it. It was fun to get back down and spend some time with the offense. It was extremely enjoyable to be right behind the quarterbacks and look at things from a different perspective. Whenever I started missing my defensive guys, I ran over to that sideline and got a little bit of this and a little bit of that."

Stephen D. Cannerelli/The Post Standard 2013

Some other quotes from Shafer after Day 1 of spring practice.

"I like the effort and I like the approach the kids took. I like the way that they tried to respond to the coaches as they were getting coached hard at times. We got Day 1 in. All in all, I feel good about Day 1."

"But, every season is a new season too so you have to careful. You look at momentum. Usually momentum is based on guys that won those games for you and won those situations. A lot of those guys are gone so we are looking for new guys to create a new momentum as we inch our way toward Penn State."

"We have a new group of coaches that are meshing together. A lot of us have worked together so that will be good. Now it will just be the dynamic of how the flow of the practice works. How the flow of going to practice to a meeting situation and the dynamics of the new personalities meshing, just like any group would take time to get those personalities to mesh. That's what makes it so much fun – all those firsts. You want to try and do the best you can with each first and each opportunity that's a new one."

This, That, and the Other Thing:

Ashton Bryold did work with the running backs and wide receivers. He took two snaps at quarterback.

"The thing that is promising is that he lined up at three different positions," Shafer said. "He was playing wide receiver, some running back, and he got two snaps at quarterback as well. We are putting a lot on his plate on his purpose to see what he can digest. But we have to find a way to get him on the field. He is one of our better athletes."

Syracuse did not put out a spring depth chart and I think it is a bit early to take a solid guess at one, but here is who was working at some key positions to fill yesterday.

-Jarrod West and Chris Clark were the two receivers on the first team.

"I think those guys have earned the right to get those reps," wide receiver coach Rob Moore said"They have taken advantage of the opportunities they have gotten and we're expecting those two guys to really contribute offensively. They have gotten off to a good start."

That said, Quinta Funderburk is going to get on the field and will certainly push for a starting spot. He is a big target, runs fluid routes, and made a lot of good catches yesterday.

-Sean Hickey was working at left tackle and Nick Robinson at left guard with holes on the line to fill left void by Justin Pugh and Zach Chibane. Macky McPherson was at center, Rob Trudo at right guard, and Ivan Foy at right tackle.

-Robert Welsh and Micah Robinson were the defensive ends with Zian Jones and John Raymon inside.

-Oliver Vigille, Marquis Spruill, and Cam Lynch were the linebackers. Spruill did a lot of work in the middle.